Care Quality Commission needs to raise profile with pu...

The Care Quality Commission (CQC), which regulates hospitals, care homes and GP practices, needs to make it easier for the public to raise concerns about poor service in the NHS, Unite, the largest union in the country, has said.

Unite, which has 100,000 members in the health service, was responding to the CQC’s consultation on its strategy 2013-2016.

In its response, Unite said: “It is without doubt that the CQC should improve its engagement with the public and involve the public in looking at ways to raise their profile.

“True and consistent involvement of the public will facilitate relationship building and, in turn, raise public trust in the system.

“However, the CQC needs to apply a meaningful and practical way to do this in order to capture a good representative range of the public.”

Unite professional officer, Ethel Rodrigues said: “We are keen that the CQC makes itself relevant, transparent and accountable to members of the public who may have concerns about the quality of services across the NHS.

“A couple of suggestions that the CQC may like to investigate is to establish a hotline for the public and to hold to roadshows at hospitals and health centres.”